


Forensic Mr. Fox

by TheKeeper_of_TheSmut



Series: Oswald and Edward's Adventure in Clone Parenting [6]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Babysitting, Canon Autistic Character, M/M, Toddlers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 21:37:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12897351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKeeper_of_TheSmut/pseuds/TheKeeper_of_TheSmut
Summary: Edward asks his friend Lucius to watch Eddie at the GCPD for a few hours while he takes Ozzie to a doctor's appointment. It goes better than expected.





	Forensic Mr. Fox

**Author's Note:**

> art from http://askoswaldandedward.tumblr.com/  
> and used with the artist's permission

To be honest, Lucius had thought it was joke when Ed had told him that they had found toddler aged clones of himself and Oswald. When he saw them for himself his scientific mind immediately started trying to figure a process that could have possibly made clones, especially stable ones. However, they weren’t exact likenesses probably because of the recessive traits already present in the DNA of the originals becoming more prominent during whatever process was used to make viable clones. 

After all, a baby’s appearance, sex, and personality, were all chance and one that usually doesn’t happen the exact same a second time. Ozzy had blond hair and Eddie’s hair was a lighter shade of brown that had clear red tones in it when the light hit it. The differences in appearance only fascinated Lucius more, but he held himself in check, mainly because of Oswald’s renown protectiveness. 

Ed had also been increasingly more paternal and constantly worrying about the toddlers, so Lucius thought it best not to mention his burning curiosity besides the oddness of it. Luckily, Ed’s equally inquisitive mind had shared his curiosity, but not his desire to do further research. He didn’t want to risk doing something to the children that would cause permanent damage or make them feel like freaks. Not that Lucius would ever put the children’s lives in danger, but he understood the not wanting the children to be looked at like they were lab rats. 

That being said, he never thought he’d find himself in this position.

“Please, Foxy, just for a few hours?” Edward asked, holding tightly onto the wrist of his younger self. “Oswald’s meeting is running late and Jon is going to his therapy appointment.”

“Can’t you take him with you? The GCPD is no place for a child.”

“I know, but Eddie doesn’t like the going to the doctor. He gets nervous and Ozzie is sick and irritable and I just don't think I can keep them both calm while Ozzie sees the doctor. After Ozzie's appointment I’ll come by and get him and Jon will watch them until Oswald or I get home.”

Lucius sighed, knowing he couldn’t say no to his friend. Looking down he tried to meet the toddler’s eyes only to find him staring at his shoe and bashfully avoiding his gaze.

“Fine, but only for a few hours.”

“Thank you!” Edward beamed and shrugged the Tardis backpack off his shoulder.

“He’s got some books, a few snacks, and some toys in here. Nothing that will make a mess. I promise, Eddie’s really well behaved, aren’t you?” He praised, handing the child the bag. Eddie nodded slowly, still not looking up.

“Aw, don’t be shy, this is my friend, Mr. Fox, I’ve talked about him before. He’s going to keep an eye on you while I take Ozzie to the Doctor’s. Do you think you can behave for Mr. Fox?”

“Yes, I’ll be good.” Ed smiled, ruffled his other self’s hair gently and let go of his wrist.

“He’s really shy and, well, you know,” Ed motioned meaningfully towards his desk, where several rubik's cubes, fidget toys, and other things to help stim were.

“If he gets overwhelmed just take him some place with less noise and let him do his thing, he’ll calm down on his own. He’s not a big fan of being touched by people he doesn’t know either, so there’s that.”

“Got it, don’t worry Edward.” Ed smiled again and hugged the toddler briefly before exiting the lab.

“So, Eddie, you like Dr. Who?” Eddie nodded shyly.

“I haven’t watched much of it, but I’ve seen a few episodes. I know your Dad likes it though,” Eddie nodded again.

“Well, I’m afraid there’s not much for you to do, I myself don’t have much work to do, aside from paperwork.”

“That alright, I brought books,” Eddie said softly. Despite only being four years old, his words were very clear, only a slight hint of a ‘w’ sound around his Rs.

Edward had mentioned that Eddie was what specialists consider “gifted”, since he was able to complete puzzles and mazes, read both picture books and some Juvenile chapter books, and starting to use the computer.

“What kind of books do you like?” Eddie dug through his bag and pulled out a picture book on dogs.

“I read anyfing with animals. I like science books too, I have some wif volcanos.” Lucius smiled hearing the lisp most children had that slurred the “th” sound. Though that too was less pronounced.

“I liked books on the ocean when I was your age. I still like the ocean….in fact,” Lucius trailed off and went to his desk. He kept this here for days like this, when it was slow. The book was thick and full of scientific names and facts that he doubted Eddie would understand, but he could appreciate the pictures.

Handing the book over he watched the toddler’s eyes light up as he saw the big white shark on the cover.

“Wow! Does it have evewy shark?!”

“If it’s a known species, it’s there. Even some that have only been spotted a dozen times within the last sixty years.”

“May I?” Lucius suppressed the chuckled over hearing that instead of ‘can I’.

“Of course, why don’t you take it over there and sit on that couch.” Eddie nodded and scampered over to the small loveseat they had in the lab for breaks. Pulling himself up onto it he settled in with the book and started scanning the pictures. Lucius got the feeling he was also trying to read the facts but clearly not understanding them.

His mouth moved slowly as he silently sounded out the names of sharks and where they were found. Satisfied that Eddie was sufficiently entertained, and that he had established some form of positive relationship with the child Lucius turned to his work and began filling out forms.

About twenty minutes later the door to the lab swung open and Harvey came in.

“Hey, Lucius, why’s the M.E.’S room locked?”

“Edward is not here right now, he had to take Ozzie to a Doctor’s appointment, he has a sinus infection.”

“Oh, well, we have fresh one. We think it’s related to our other case, you know the serial killer.”

“Detective! There’s a child in the room,” Harvey looked over to where Eddie was peeking sheepishly from behind the shark book.

“Eep!” Startled the toddler ducked back behind the book.

“Christ, they do have little clones of themselves. That’s...I’m not even gonna say it. Will you unlock the morgue so I can put the body in there.”

“You lost your keys again, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but lecture me later.”

Sighing Lucius got his keys and turned to tell Eddie to wait here when he stopped to think. While most of the cabinets in the lab were locked and out of the four year old’s reach, Lucius didn’t want to take the risk of leaving the toddler alone in a room with dangerous chemicals and sharp objects.

“Eddie, come with me a moment. I don’t want to leave you alone,” Eddie closed the book, head down again and rushed to Lucius, ducking behind his leg and avoiding Harvey’s stare.

“Problem, detective?” Lucius asked sharply, honestly, there was no need to stare at the poor kid. Harvey snapped out of it and shook his head hastily, muttering to himself. As they left the lab the noise and general chaos of the GCPD kicked up and Lucius put a hand down for Eddie to hold onto if he wanted.

Apparently the stress induced from the noise overwhelmed his dislike of being touched and Eddie grasped on. Keeping his head ducked he followed Lucius to a different set of stairs and down to the M.E.’s wing. Two paramedics stood outside the door with the body on a gourney.

Opening the door Lucius let them in and followed to put the body away. He went straight to the filing cabinet to get the necessary forms and started talking to Harvey about the details, trying to stay quiet so Eddie wouldn’t hear. However, Eddie seemed preoccupied examining the shelves with various jars and the anatomy posters.

The toddler’s eyes locked on the figure draped in a sheet that lay across the examination table. Was there really a body under there? A dead one? Leaning back he tilted his head toward Mr. Fox and the other man to hear what they were saying,

“Just like the others, dead for at least a couple of hours.”

Others? Glancing around the room Eddie’s eyes fell on the storage coolers where, sure enough, three others were occupied, indicated by the labels written in his dad’s handwriting. Curious Eddie moved closer to the table, looking at the sheet and trying to discern the outline of the corpse. He heard one of the paramedics return and, panicked, hid under the exam table.

The paramedic dropped a sack with the personal effects of the deceased on the table and turned to leave, heavy winter jacket brushing the cloth and exposing one hand to the chill air of the morgue. Eddie’s eye widened as he slid out from under the table, eye fixed on the exposed hand.

“A body,” he whispered, then excited, “A BODY!”

Lucius spun around to see Eddie attempting to pull at the sheet.

“Ed, no!” He said firmly, not quite yelling.

Eddie froze, turning around so fast Lucius is surprised he didn’t get whiplash.

“No, you’re too young.” Lucius said firmly, coming over and tucking the hand back under the sheet.

“Damn, creepy kid,” Harvey muttered. Lucius felt himself get angry, so perhaps most children weren’t excited to see a dead body, but there was no need to say that. Apparently though, Eddie hadn’t heard, simply nodding solemnly and apologizing to Lucius.

“It’s alright, when we get back to the lab I’ll show you a few things that I use and what they do. We can fingerprint you and analyze your DNA how’s that.”

“You mean the spit thing?” Eddie asked. Huffing in amusement Lucius responded,

“Yes, the spit thing. And then you can help me look at some of the stuff from the bag. Maybe you’ll see something in the evidence I don’t.”   
  


Lucius wasn’t really going to let Eddie do much handling of evidence, but he could show him how some of the forensic equipment worked.

“Okay!”

When Edward arrived to get Eddie he saw the toddler perched in Lucius’s lap as the other man explained how the mass spectrometer worked and how it was going to analyze the sample they took from the water bottle.

“Well, am I going to need to worry about losing my job? I would hate to be replaced,” Ed teased.

“Nah, this fine young forensic expert has a way to go yet. But I fear it’s my job on the line.”

Laughing Ed came over to collect Eddie’s bag.

“Alright, little forensic expert, time to go home.”

“Aw, but I wanna help!” Eddie whined.

“Maybe you can come another day and help some more. But only if Mr. Fox says it’s okay.”

“I’ll be sure to call on my assistant forensic expert whenever I need to.”

“Now, come on, we got to go pick up Jon, tell Mr. Fox thank you and say goodbye,” Edward prompted throwing away a wrapper from the bag of chips and the core of an apple Eddie ate and left laying on the desk.

To his surprise Eddie hugged Lucius and happily thanked him and said goodbye.

“Well, that’s a pleasant surprise. I guess I can’t help but like you no matter what.”

Lucius rolled his eyes and waved Ed off.

“Your little genius tried to uncover a corpse in the morgue. I guess you can’t resist sticking your nose in the M.E.’s job either.” Ed playfully stuck his tongue out at Lucius and pretended to be offended while carrying Eddie out the door.

“It’s because I’m good at my job, good day, sir! Seriously though, thanks, and sorry about his attempted unveiling, I really appreciate it, Foxy.”

“It honestly wasn’t any trouble, I enjoyed myself. He can come back when it’s a slower day, and I’d have no problems watching him again if you need me to. I can watch Ozzie too.”

Laughing, Edward shook his head, “No, not here. Ozzie would be everywhere and in everything. I appreciate it though.”

Waving goodbye Ed closed the door behind him. Lucius sat there a minute before realizing Ed hadn’t said, ‘no’, just that he wouldn’t make Lucius watch them both here at the GCPD. And Ozzie was supposedly a handful.

What had he gotten himself into?


End file.
